Love Rice

Whether we realize it or not our minds seek out distraction to avoid difficult thoughts or emotions. Some call this "numbing out." Keeping a busy schedule, always being on the go, or turning to social media and technology to keep our minds occupied. Over the past couple of months as our schedules have slowed and social connections have been distanced we're finding ourselves alone with our thoughts. And for a lot of us, it's been extremely difficult. So how do we face these difficult thoughts and emotions? How do we process these thoughts so we can slow down to live intentionally?

We're in a difficult time. We're trying to make sense of the new topsy-turvy world we're living through during this pandemic. For a lot of us, we're finding ourselves isolated with no escape and it's taking a toll on our happiness and mental clarity. This is especially difficult when you're already trying to navigate the complexities of a difficult relationship. When you don't feel connected to your spouse/partner and you can't take a break from the kids how do you cope and not go crazy? Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner will discuss some things they're seeing with their own clients and what they've found to be the most effective way to create time for self-care. Time to breathe and think and feel connected with yourself again. This is so important as we're stuck in isolation.

Love Rice is making a comeback! As we've been working on new episodes we thought we would record something to support you during this time of uncertainty. Jeni Gessel and Dr. Kevin Skinner dive into how we can respond during times of uncertainty and high anxiety. They explore what the research says about our response during these times and how resiliency plays a role. Dr. Skinner offers the opportunity to take a free resiliency quiz. Here's that link: https://www.discoverandchange.com/tests/resiliency-quiz-registration/ We hope this episode provides a little bit of extra support and encouragement. New episodes are on the way in the not too distant future.

You'll want to listen to this one twice. Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife walks us through the tension of belonging to ourselves and belong to those we love. We talk about how to create strength in ourselves and in our relationships.

This episode is perfect for you if you’re looking for a deeper more purposeful version of self-care. The kind of self-care we’ll explore is less about bubble baths and working out and more about what we need in order to feel the way we want to feel. Giving self-care a rooted purpose creates more powerful healing. “When the Universe give you a sign, you pull over.”

This story is about compassion tied to action. It’s about a nation displaced. It’s about the power of language to build and heal. It’s about humanity and it’s about home. Listen, as we follow the evolution of Hayley Smith, founder and director of Lifting Hands International http://www.liftinghandsinternational.org/. Over the last year, Hayley decided she could no longer be a bystander in the worldwide refugee crisis. Early January 2016, on the small island of Lesvos, Greece she came face to face with what she describes as a desperate human exodus. Iraqi, Syrian, and Afghan men, women, and children fleeing Turkey for the hopeful safety of European waters. What she saw changed everything. Show Notes: https://bloomforwomen.com/pages/blog-entry.php?id=KEmC1dDqKq

You know those relationship bumps and disconnections that feel impossible to navigate? Maybe ignoring, bulldozing or building resentments seem easier? Our guest shares how assertiveness is often the answer. “Assertiveness is the path to connection love authenticity and being known.” (big quote) Being assertive-in the Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks (http://www.drjuliehanks.com/) way- can create more love, more knowing, and more healing in a relationship, which seems counter-intuitive. In this Love Rice (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/love-rice/id1106925653?mt=2) episode, Dr. Julie Hanks walks us through one of her own recent “assertiveness” experiences and then we dissect my own. gulp. We’ll talk about: • The Dr. Julie Hanks definition of assertiveness • How assertiveness and vulnerability go hand in hand • The important part empathy and understanding play in assertiveness • How to be truly known and authentic For more discussion follow us on Instagram @bloomforwomen.com

This Love Rice episode is about decisions and self-care. Today, we'll hear one woman's story about how she experimented with discovering her own creativity through remodeling her kitchen table. She found purpose, self-confidence, and a sense of peace even in the wake of a difficult decision.

Today’s show is all about boundaries and love. I have a fascinating conversation with Dr. Brad Reedy LMFT, owner of Evoke Therapy Programs which specializes in wilderness therapy for teens, young adults, and families. Even though we talk about parenting, this conversation and Dr. Reedy’s online class at Bloom gave me more depth and understanding about boundaries. We’ll also talk about how to hold space for other people, the value of honoring our own darkness and how to hold our own space with confidence. If you’re seeking more direction and courage for yourself and your relationships, this episode will stir ideas to help you discover what actions you can take.

When considering a big change, I’ve mapped it out, planned it out, and then ripped it up and tossed it through the window because there was too much pain and too many unknowns. It’s easy to get knotted up in the hows, whats, and whys instead of taking the kind of leaps that change everything in our lives. It can be paralyzing. If you've had any experience teetering on this edge, our Love Rice episode with New York Times Best selling author, spiritual teacher, fellow podcaster, and white t-shirt-and-jeans-wearing family man Rob Bell will speak to you.

I’ve been thinking a lot about kids and truth and hard messy family stuff. I’ve actually been thinking about it for years. And, like many of you, I’ve wondered how do you tell the kids, and what to tell them, and when do you tell them. In today’s podcast, we talk with Starr, a first-grade teacher and mother of three. She tells her childhood story of being told about some messy truths in her family. If you have the same questions I have about kids and messy truths, this episode is perfect for you.

We're back for Season 2! Today we wanted to stop and celebrate our first birthday with the stories of some of our tribe.

Meet Jessica Spieth, wife, mother, hippy and founder of the HÓZHÓ project, an organization that focuses on stories and photos about real people. Using gorgeous black and white photos of people to highlight their strength and beauty in the midst of heartache, Jessica tries to take the shame out of pain.In this episode we’ll learn something about the Navajo language, the power of a black and white photo, and how the book, The Princess Bride changes lives.

In today's episode we meet Lauren. She is a mother, teacher and a blogger. We'll follow the story of how she navigated her marriage post-affair and the music that inspired her along the way. When her friend told her, "You're gonna have to watch him go through a breakup" she dug deep to hold on to her faith, her family and her self-love.

Listen to the story of the Gold Minivan, a child who is bullied and the endless power we have to lift and reconstruct ourselves. Meet lifestyle, nutrition and fitness coach Angela Martindale. These are her stories and I think you’ll come to love her as much as I do!